Court hand

Court hand is a writing style that was used in olden times for preparing legal documents, such as court records, wills or deeds of property. It is a way of writing that looks different from the writing you may be used to seeing today.

Think of when you were first learning how to write. Your teacher may have taught you how to make certain letters, like “a” and “b,” by telling you to draw a circle and then add lines to it. Court hand is similar in that it has certain rules for how the letters should be written.

Instead of circles and lines, court hand teaches you to make letters using certain strokes, or lines. There are specific ways to make each letter, and you have to follow these rules carefully if you want your writing to be readable.

Court hand isn’t commonly used anymore, but it still exists in historical documents. If you ever come across an old document that’s written in court hand, you’ll need to take your time to read it carefully, since the writing can be difficult to decipher!